Anna groaned as she fell into the gray bean-bag chair. Carl settled beside her, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He pulled down two controllers and passed her one before he turned on the TV and Nintendo 64. On her other side, Judith played on the floor with some stuffed animals.
"So, what are we playing?" Anna asked.
"F-Zero X," Carl said.
"Okie dokie," Anna nodded, adjusting the wire between her legs.
"Okie dokie?"
"I don't know," Anna shrugged, laughing.
Carl shook his head, smirking as he turned back to the television. The ring of an electric guitar called their attention back, PUSH START flashing different colors across the screen. Carl selected the GP Race and the FZERO Jack Cup, navigating them through selecting their 'machines' and characters.
"Sorry this took so long, man," Anna sighed as the game counted down for the race.
"Don't worry about it," Carl said. "You've got a lot going on. It's pretty cool."
"What's pretty cool?" Anna asked as she experimented with the controls until she figured out how to get her machine to turn without getting stuck on the edges of the track.
"You're like a General or something," Carl said, his eyes glued to the screen.
Anna scoffed, not taking her eyes off her machine.
"I'm not a General."
"Could've fooled me," Carl teased. "You came up with a plan, you're organizing our forces. Dad and the others—they're following your lead."
"I'm offering suggestions," Anna said, shaking her head.
"They're listening."
Anna didn't say anything, and Carl crossed the finish line in third place. A few seconds later, she crossed dead last.
"Another?" Carl asked, a triumphant smirk on his face. "Or do you want to try a different game?"
"I think I'm getting the hang of the controls," Anna huffed.
From the floor, Judith made a babbling noise akin to Carl. Carl laughed and started a new race.
"We're gonna end the Saviors," Carl said, the game counting down again.
Anna hummed in response, her brows knitting together.
"All of them?" She asked.
"The ones that get in our way. Isn't that the plan?"
"The plan is to make them surrender," Anna said.
"They all deserve to die. For following him."
"I followed the Governor—for a little while. And Fort Benning," she said. "Did I deserve to die?"
"That's different," Carl insisted. "You didn't stay with them."
"You're right; I left. But only when I saw there was another choice. What if some of the Saviors were given that same chance and they chose to abandon Negan and join us instead?" she asked. "What then?"
"They killed people," Carl snapped.
"We killed people," Anna countered. "And you can't say every one of the people we killed deserved it."
She saw Carl's jaw clench and noticed the stubble growing there. Distantly, she heard a distorted explosion from the television.
"You're dead," Carl said.
Anna shook her head, brushing a lock of hair out of her face as she shifted her legs to cross her ankles over each other.
"Man, I suck at this game," Anna huffed.
"Yeah, you do."
She pouted at him, but saw the good-natured grin on his face and smiled.
"Again?"
Anna pursed her lips. They had three days to complete their preparations and put her plan into action. Three days before they would find out if it was going to work at all. She didn't think it would hurt to play a few more games.
Anna peered through the scope of her rifle. She only saw one Savior leaning against the building, smoking a cigarette, but she made no move. She wanted to make sure he was alone. After another minute, she looked at the watch Rick had given her. The Militia was on their way and she needed to get her snipers organized.
With a sigh, Anna readjusted her rifle and leveled the crosshairs with the man's head. She let out a slow breath and squeezed back on the trigger, the silencer muffling the sound. Shouldering the rifle, Anna grabbed her stick and satchel, heading toward the fallen Savior.
She looked both ways before crossing the street and knelt beside the man, patting him down for his weapons and his walkie before checking the rusted car parked a few feet from the door. Checking her watch again, Anna put the items in her bag as she stood and started down the road, keeping close to the buildings until she made it to the tree line.
It didn't take her long to make it to the overpass where Carol, Tara, Morgan, and Daryl were gathered beside a dark green Tahoe and Daryl's bike.
Anna jogged the rest of the way up to them, keeping her breathing steady as she approached.
"How'd it go?" Carol asked.
"According to plan. The others?" Anna asked.
"Taken care of," Daryl assured.
Anna looked to Morgan and he nodded.
"Here we go," Tara said, a Twizzler hanging out of her mouth as she stared at her watch.
"Ten..., nine..., eight..., seven…,"
The five of them stood together, watching the lower end of the overpass as it turned behind the trees.
"Six..., five..., four...," Tara continued.
They had to get the timing just right. If they weren't where they needed to be when they needed to be there, it could ruin everything.
"Three..., two..., one..."
The road remained empty.
"Shit," Tara hissed, yanking the Twizzler from her mouth.
"Are you sure you timed it right?" Anna asked, looking to her own watch.
"No, there," Daryl said, pointing at the turn.
"Okay. Close enough," Tara shrugged, heading off.
"All right, let's go," Daryl said as he mounted his bike.
"Hey," she called, and he paused. "Be careful."
"Yeah, you too," he said.
She pressed her lips together. Time. They had so little of it, but she figured they could spare at least ten seconds as she leaned forward and kissed him.
"What was that for?" He asked.
"'Cause I can," she said before jogging off the way she'd come.
She heard his engine roar to life and he blew past just before she hopped over the barrier and started through the woods.
Distantly, she heard a booming explosion, but she didn't stop. There were places to be.
Isaac sat at the dusty wooden table, drumming his fingers on his knees. To his right were Regina and Gavin, and Gregory sat to his left at the end of the table, nervously holding a glass of room-temperature water. Simon was across from Isaac, his eyes intent on Gregory. Rounding out the group were Eugene, who sat quietly at Simon's left, and Dwight, who was next to Negan.
"Well, I—uh…," Gregory stammered, and Isaac pressed his lips together. "I'd just like to start by saying thank you for having me here today."
Politicians, Isaac thought bitterly as he rolled his eyes.
"Negan, let me lay this down straight for you," Gregory went on, shifting the glass. "I know how it is, negotiating the slippery, steep terrain of managing resources and the populations, and the big scary U. But you might know, it's called the unknown," he said with a wink and a nod as he glanced around at the lieutenants.
Buffoon. His face didn't give away just how irritated he was.
Isaac was disgusted with Gregory. The Politician. The Buffoon. The spineless waste of breath.
When no one said anything, Gregory continued.
"Listen, I—I mean it when I say it—Negan, I don't like killing people any more than you do," he said, tapping his hand on the table to emphasize each word.
Isaac scoffed.
"I like killing people," Negan said simply.
"Oh. Well, I—" Gregory floundered.
"I say it's about killing the right people," Negan interrupted. "So, you kill the right people at the right time…," he set Lucille in his lap and clasped his hands together, "everything falls into place. Everybody's happy. Well," he grinned, "some people more than others. But you kill one," he said, holding up a finger. "And you could be saving hundreds more. And that is what we are all about. We save people."
"That—that's why you're called the—the Saviors? Oh," Gregory said.
Dwight pushed himself out of his chair.
"Gonna go grab a smoke," he announced as he headed for the door.
"Now?" Negan asked, and Dwight paused, crossing his arms over his chest. "You don't want to hear this?"
"Don't need to," Dwight assured. "Tell me where to go and what to do, I'll make it happen."
Negan chuckled, waving him off. Dwight walked out and closed the door behind him.
"Where were we, Gregory?" Negan asked. "Oh, that's right. You were telling me that you don't like to kill people, and I was saying that I do—under the right circumstances."
"Well, this—this situation that we—we find ourselves in, this—this conflict. I can stop it before it even gets started," Gregory insisted, and Isaac bit his tongue. "I mean here it is. I go to my people and I—I tell them if—if you're joining with this—this misled crusade, you're no longer citizens of the Hilltop. You're out on your asses."
Gregory hummed questioningly, glancing around the table, like a child searching for approval from the big kids.
"You're still their guy?" Negan asked. "They still listen to you, Gregory? Can you exile people?"
"The Hilltop is my house," Gregory said, gesturing to himself. "I'm still the guy. I've always been the guy."
"If you're still the guy—if, indeed you have always been the guy, then why the hell didn't you know about the Widow leading an army of your people straight up my ass in Alexandria?" Negan asked.
Panic was clear on Gregory's face as Negan leaned forward.
"You know what I think, Gregory? I think you're playing both sides. I think you are a thin-dicked politician threading the needle with your thin, thin dick," Negan said. "Now, is listening to you the right way to go, or is it the right place and time for something else?"
Gregory audibly swallowed, his whole body beginning to shake.
"No—no," he stuttered. "Not trying to do that. No, not—I was—wasn't aware of things until they were already in—in motion. Allegiance, right there, the whole thing. I just—I—I didn't know until I—I knew, you know?" Gregory said, practically incoherent with fear.
Pathetic.
"Gregory, hey," Simon soothed, holding Gregory's wrist. "I believe you. Now make Negan believe you," he said, humming expectantly.
After a moment, Gregory cleared his throat and declared with a false confidence, "The Hilltop is mine. I let a fox into my hen house. She and her people took advantage of my generous nature. I see that now, and I will fix it."
Negan leaned back in his chair, eyeing Gregory but seeming cautiously appeased.
"If we go in with the right stage picture, a thick and veiny show of force surrounding Gregory when he lays down the law, I think things go back to copacetic," Simon said, mimicking Negan's posture as Gregory began to sip at his water. "If they don't, we take a flyer on the place and kill everyone there.
Gregory choked.
"Unfortunate play," Simon sighed, "but the other communities will get the message, and we achieve equilibrium. Plan A. Plan B—"
BANG!
Isaac and the rest of the room jumped at Negan slamming Lucille against the table.
"People are a resource," Negan said, his voice a low growl.
BANG!
He slammed Lucille again.
"Money on the table," he said, louder as he rose from his seat.
BANG!
He continued to slam Lucille against the table with each word, his voice growing to a roar.
"People are the foundation of what we are doing here!"
Isaac felt every muscle in his body tense as Negan leaned over the table, glaring at Simon. He did not envy the man.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Negan asked. "Are you confused about who we are? Are you confused about who is in charge? Are we backsliding, Simon?" A wicked grin spread across Negan's face. "Please, tell me we're not backsliding."
"We're not backsliding," Simon replied in a clipped, nervous voice. "This is a pronounced event and a fragile moment."
"Hell, yes, it is," Negan cheered, standing straight. "We need to win it all. 'Plan A' is taking Rick, the Widow, and King Assface alive and making them dead in a very, very public and instructive way. We kill the right people in the wrongest way possible and we make them all watch!"
The moment he finished speaking, four rhythmic gunshots came from outside. Negan went to the window and everyone stood as Dwight walked in, Gary close behind him.
"Should we get our people out there?" Simon asked. "Line 'em up, light 'em up?"
"No," Negan said after a moment. "They got some sort of hillbilly armor. We'd just be wasting metal on metal. And the RPG is stashed at the cache, so…, let's have ourselves a little chat," he grinned. "Simon, bring your new little friend. We may need him to say a few words."
"Gregory, you're on deck," Simon said.
"Gary, put three and three in the windows. Tell them to stay the hell down till we need them," Negan ordered, stepping over to and opening the door to outside. "Well, shit!" he called. "I'm sorry. I was in a meeting."
The lieutenants filed out after him, Eugene hesitating for a moment before joining them. But Isaac paused at the door. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the folded photograph he kept there. He smirked at Anna, curled up and peaceful in an armchair with a book in her lap and a messy bun atop her head. He smoothed his thumb gently across her face,
Gregory cleared his throat, reminding Isaac that he was there. He looked up at the older man, narrowing his eyes but still smirking.
He folded the photograph and tucked it back into his pocket before finally stepping out onto the platform.
Slinking and weaving her way through the buildings, Anna made it to the rendezvous point without being seen. She ducked behind a truck as she spotted the two men and a woman just ahead of her, each holding a sniper-rifle as they hid behind a building.
Each one had a cloth wrapped around their arms, just above their elbows; one white, one green, and one red. Anna looked to her own elbow and saw the white cloth tied around her bicep—a stark contrast to her black jacket.
She looked back to the group and let out a low whistle. They turned, guns up as she came out from around the truck, and they lowered their weapons.
"We were wondering when you were gonna show up," Jason said, the green fabric wrapped around his arm indicating he was from Hilltop.
"What took so long?" Donny asked, the white strip around his arm reminding her he was from Alexandria.
"Doesn't matter," Claudia said, the red on her arm showing that she was from the Kingdom. "Now that you're here, where do you want us?"
"Right," Anna nodded. She crouched in front of them, pulling the walkies from her bag and passing them around. "We'll be on channel three," she said as she turned her walkie on and hooked it to her belt before pulling out the map of the Sanctuary. "Donny, I want you here in the water tower. Jason, here in this red building. Claudia, here in this yellow building. I'll be here, across from the main gate. Radio when you're in position," she instructed, slinging her things over her shoulder as she stood. "And remember, we aren't here to kill anyone."
The three gave a solemn nod before heading to their positions. Anna pulled her hair back, tying it with the hair-tie she kept around her wrist. Even tied up, her hair reached her shoulder blades. Her scalp throbbed with the memory of Isaac yanking her around by her hair. It was too long.
There was a snarl just behind her. Shaking her head, Anna dropped her stuff to the ground and took up her stick. No point in wasting bullets on a stray walker. She quickly dispatched it with two swift hits to get it to the ground before she rammed the end of her stick into its eye socket.
She took a bandanna from her pocket and wiped the blood and brain matter from the end of her stick before she replaced it on her back. She grabbed her rifle and satchel and started to her position.
Anna cleared the building quickly, taking out the few walkers that had been lingering on the first floor. The second floor was empty, and she set up a chair at the window with the best view. She set her satchel on the ground and pulled out the extra ammo she had brought, lining the boxes up on the window sill. She pulled back on the bolt and loaded the gun, peering through the scope.
She checked her watch. She'd made it just in time. When she looked back through her scope, the cars were already pulling up, steel plates bolted to the sides as they parked strategically to block line of sight. Even the RV had been armored.
Everyone climbed out of their vehicles silently, moving seamlessly between the cars until they were where they needed to be. Anna saw Rick look to Maggie; she raised her hand, and everyone raised their guns to the sky. Maggie brought her hand down in one swift motion and they fired one, two, three, four shots before lowering their weapons.
Anna brought her sights up to watch the door. A minute felt like eternity as they waited, but the door swung open and Negan stepped out, an amused grin on his face. He sauntered up to the railing of the platform followed by Simon, then Dwight, who she assumed was Gavin and Regina, and Eugene.
She could barely hear a word Negan was saying from this distance, but she certainly had a clear shot of him. She took a steadying breath and kept her finger off the trigger. They weren't here to kill him. Not yet.
Movement caught her attention just behind Negan, and she saw Isaac step into view, a condescending smirk on his face.
Anna felt her muscles turn to cement as she watched him through her scope. She almost didn't notice when her crosshairs shifted to pinpoint the middle of his face, or the fact that her finger was trembling over the trigger.
It felt like she was sinking below the surface of a tumultuous sea and she couldn't find her way out. She wanted to kill him, as if that would somehow make things better. It would be so easy to just squeeze. She'd feel a little discomfort in her shoulder—nothing she wasn't used to. But it would be over.
Anna shook her head, forcing herself to move her finger off the trigger. If she killed Isaac now, her plan would be worthless.
"We aren't here to kill anyone," she reminded herself.
She took deep breaths, repeating the phrase in her head. All of this was about Negan. Isaac would come later. She could just make out Rick shouting, "The Saviors inside!" and she knew he was offering them the deal. To surrender was to survive.
Anna watched as Negan gestured to his lieutenants. She could only imagine him asking what his fate would be in all of this. But he'd already been told. There was no going back for him.
After a moment, Negan seemed to make a few statements before Simon walked into the doorway and gestured for someone to step out. Hesitantly, Gregory appeared.
Anna ground her teeth.
That good for nothing piece of human garbage, she thought bitterly as Negan patted Gregory on the shoulder.
"The Hilltop stands with Negan and the Saviors," Gregory declared just loud enough that Anna could hear. "Any residents of the Hilltop who take up arms or who supports this ultimatum against the Sanctuary or any of the Saviors, for that matter—they will no longer be welcome in the colony."
Gregory looked to Negan, who seemed to urge him to continue.
"Their families will be thrown out and will be left to fend for themselves," Gregory shouted.
Negan patted him on the shoulder again and stepped away.
"Go home now. Or you won't have a home to go back to," Gregory warned.
Anna's lip curled in disgust, but there was silence from Hilltop, and for a moment she thought they were actually going to side with Gregory.
"The Hilltop stands with Maggie!" Anna heard Jesus call.
She watched as Simon forced Gregory to look at him, jabbing his finger into Gregory's chest as he backed him up before shoving him unceremoniously down the stairs. Anna hissed at the pain Gregory no doubt felt.
BOOM!
A smirk played at Anna's lips as she watched Negan and his lieutenants look off in the distance, confusion on their faces. There were some words exchanged that she couldn't hear—she assumed Rick was offering the lieutenants one more chance. They were getting close.
Anna pulled her walkie off her belt and held it to her face.
"Snipers, don't fire. Save your ammo," she instructed.
Just as she lowered the walkie, gunfire erupted from behind the vehicles and shattered glass rained down on the Saviors as they darted inside. All except Negan, who fell from the platform.
Horns began to blare as everyone climbed back into their vehicles. But Anna's focus was on Negan as he crawled along the ground toward cover.
The crack of Lucille against skull filled her ears, and Glenn choking out "I'll find you," as he stood unsteadily on his knees, blood pouring down his face and his left eye sticking out of its socket.
Anna ground her teeth and leveled Negan in her sights, ready to squeeze back on the trigger when a barrage of bullets came down on the man; Negan managed to hide behind the cement platform.
"Shit," she hissed, pulling away from her rifle.
She shook her head, reminding herself to stick to the plan. Everything would work out fine if they just stuck to the plan.
Anna caught movement in her peripheral and saw that the RV was moving forward, its armored front taking down the fence with ease. Gabriel crawled through the back window and ran for another barricade to take cover. A few seconds later, as the RV neared the building, the bombs within exploded.
The armored cars drove away as the smoke cleared. But someone continued to fire on the shell of what was left of the RV. Anna swung her scope down to see that it was Rick. Gabriel pulled on his arm, trying to get him to leave.
"Damn it," she snapped.
Finally, Rick ceased fire and turned to Gabriel before the priest headed off, shooting at the windows. Rick grabbed something from a truck—a camera—and flashed a picture of the wreckage laid out before the Sanctuary.
Anna shook her head as the man finally left. She brought her sights up to look at the debris Rick had been firing at, knowing that he was aiming for Negan. But she couldn't see any sign of him. Furrowing her brow, Anna searched the courtyard, only to see Gabriel hiding behind a barricade with Gregory, taking heavy gunfire from the windows.
Hissing a curse, Anna glanced to her right and saw the herd trickling in. They were out of time, and Gabriel was stuck.
And Gregory was making a run for the last of the armored cars, abandoning the man who had probably saved his life.
"That son of a bitch."
She aimed and fired, her bullet catching the armor of the door as Gregory slammed it shut and tore out of the courtyard. As he disappeared through the herd, Anna turned her attention back to Gabriel, still trapped behind the barricade, the herd closing in around him. One walker came too close to him and Anna fired, a bullet embedding itself into the walker's head before it fell to the ground.
Gabriel looked in her general direction and gave a single nod before scrambling to his feet and running for the annexes. He attempted to force his way into one, but was surrounded before he could get the door open.
Anna took down a few of the walkers, allowing him to get to another annex. He managed to get up the stairs and rip the door open and shut himself inside. With Gabriel out of direct danger, Anna lowered her rifle. Now she just needed to find a way to get him out.
"Shit."